Your Life
by KatrinaKaiba
Summary: Apollo recounts how he became acquainted with Kristoph.


Disclaimer: I don't own Ace Attorney.

"What?" Apollo asked, cocking his head towards the questioner. Klavier Gavin stood in front of the defense attorney's desk at the Wright Anything Agency, palms flat against the wood surface.

"You've never told me how you came to work for my brother. I was just curious." Klavier repeated picking up one of the magic props that was strewn across the desk. Apollo leaned back in the office chair, putting his left middle finger against his forehead.

"He never told you?" Apollo asked. Klavier shook his head, bangs flopping gracefully with the motion. Apollo fiddled with his bracelet thoughtfully. He then sighed. "I hope you don't have anything to do, it is a long story."

"I have time." Klavier replied taking a seat on the lime green beanbag chair that adorned the floor. He lounged back making himself comfortable. Apollo grimaced and pulled himself up to an upright position in order to see Klavier better. "Well, you know I'm an orphan and I was living in the orphanage for most of my life. But what you probably don't know is that I was not the most law-abiding citizen in the area." This made Klavier straighten in the chair.

"Goody-two-shoes Herr Forehead breaking the law? Really? What did you do, steal one of the orphan's train, or a ball?" Klavier asked mockingly. Apollo narrowed his eyes.

"Two iPods, a NERF gun, six candy bars and three pairs of headphones." Apollo recanted ticking off on his fingers. "Oh, and that was all in one day." He added. He chuckled when he saw Klavier's eyes bugging out of his head.

"You…did that?" Klavier asked. Apollo nodded.

"Yeah, but that's not how I met your brother."

"But…why Forehead?" Klavier asked. Apollo shrugged.

"I guess I wanted some control over my life. No one wanted to adopt me. They didn't want a kid they couldn't lie to. The other orphans teased me. I was the only kid whose parent abandoned; everyone else lost their parents to an accident or something. I wanted to be cool. So I fought anyone that looked at me funny and stole and smoked; anything to make me look cool. Although looking back on it I wasn't cool at all." Apollo surmised. Klavier let out a breath and sank on the chair.

"If that's what you did and you weren't caught, I'm afraid of learning the circumstances of how you met my brother." Klavier mused. Apollo nodded.

"Yeah, it wasn't pretty. But, when I was fourteen, I…" Apollo cut off and turned his head toward the window. He fiddled with his bracelet again and closed his eyes.

"What?" Klavier asked. Apollo looked over to him. He was sitting ramrod straight on the beanbag, his crystalline blue eyes questioning. Apollo sighed and looked away.

"I was accused of murder." Apollo all but whispered. Klavier couldn't believe his ears. In fact, he placed his hands on his ears and shook his head from side to side as he did in court sometimes. Apollo continued to gaze out of the window

"I know you can't believe it but it's true. You can look it up…" Apollo started.

"I can't believe it but it's not like you to lie, ja?" Klavier cut him off.

"Well, obviously I didn't do it. Your brother did a good job of defending me." Apollo said.

"…Kristoph was your attorney?" Klavier asked.

"Yeah. He was." Apollo said distractedly, beginning to drift off in his daydream.

June 18, 2018 12:43 p.m.

District Court

Defendant Lobby

"…" The blonde attorney sat on the couch cross-legged waiting patiently for his client to be brought from the courtroom. It was all over but the paperwork. His client was going to be found guilty. He almost felt sorry for the boy…almost…

The boy morphed in from the courtroom doors. He was a small, skinny little boy. The attorney allowed his eyes to gloss over the boy briefly. The boy's brown eyes were narrowed so much that they almost looked closed. There nothing special about them, he surmised. His brown hair covered his head and tapered upward into two straight bangs, almost like antennas. His childish face was drawn in an angry frown as he looked back at his attorney. The boy was hopelessly simple and yet…The blue eyes fell toward the golden bracelet that gripped the boy's left wrist. It was intricate, stylish and impressive, not something that one would forget easily.

"So…"The boy started his small meek voice cutting through the defense attorney's thoughts.

"Yes?" The attorney questioned.

"Am I going to be found guilty, Mr. Gavin?" The boy asked. The attorney shook his head in mild amusement, the blonde spiral of curls bouncing with the motion.

"I am afraid you might my boy." Kristoph Gavin revealed. The brown eyes widened and almost looked fearful.

"But…but I didn't do it!" He yelled at him…it would've been a yell if it wasn't mostly squeaked.

"I'm sorry…but the evidence seems to be pointing that way." Kristoph said. The boy sputtered and squeaked trying to protest. He began to grip the bracelet on his arm tightly shaking his head in disbelief.

"I mean, you didn't really help your case. You refused to help yourself." Kristoph continued not sparing a glance at the boy.

"But I didn't kill him! I didn't! You have to believe me!" The boy repeated adamantly. Kristoph looked at him his eyes cold.

"And why should I do that? You're nothing but a punk child who got in way over his head. You wanted to prove yourself and you did. Now you're going to get what you so rightly deserve."

"But…I'm innocent." The child whispered. Kristoph didn't even budge.

"The prove it." Kristoph said turning to the door. He began to walk toward the knob when a small voice stopped him.

"She was lying." It said. Kristoph turned toward his client. The boy was standing straight; his eyes opened and face serious.

"How do you know?" Kristoph asked suspiciously. The boy shook his head.

"I don't." He admitted. "But when she talked about seeing my bracelet, she seemed different somehow."

"How can you tell?" Kristoph asked coming closer to his client.

"It's just a feeling. I don't know how I know it but it's true. She's lying." He whispered. Kristoph made a noise of committal. Feelings? Kristoph almost laughed. He couldn't build a defense based on feelings. It wasn't his style. It seemed more like the defense tactics of a certain blue suited attorney whose hair resembled a thistle bush. However…the look on the boy's face was affecting him.

"Take off your bracelet. And make it a point to place your forearms on top of the defendant's bench. I have an idea." Kristoph said smirking slightly.

June 18 1:00 p.m.

District Court

Courtroom No. 4

*BANG* A gavel pounded from above the courtroom.

"This court is back in session for the trial of Apollo…what is his last name again?" The judge asked.

"He does not have one, Your Honor." Kristoph replied smoothly.

"Oh, is he like those superstar singers that only have one name, like Madonna and Cher?" The old man mused.

"…" Kristoph decided it was best to remain silent. He instead turned his eyes toward the prosecutor for the case. Winston Payne emitted an aura of complete confidence as he smugly smiled at the defense attorney.

"Well, it does seem like this case is coming to a close quickly Your Honor. And I expected more from you Mr. Gavin. But not all attorneys fare well against the 'Rookie Killer'." Payne laughed wheezily. Kristoph put on a mask of indifference as he stared at the witness who resumed her place on the stand.

"Your Honor," Kristoph called. "Before you decide your verdict I would like to question the witness one more time." He remarked. The judge scratched as his beard.

"Well I do have some time to kill before my oboe lesson. Why not?" The judge decided. "But you are to ask only relevant questions. I have enough on my plate when Mr. Wright is questioning."

"Don't worry Your Honor." Kristoph assured him. He gracefully strode toward the witness.

"Ms. Dewitt. I seem to recall you saying that my client forcefully bashed in the victim's skull and that you knew it was him because the bracelet he wears flashed from the light emitted by the lightning storm that night. Is this correct?"

Irene Dewitt snapped her head toward Kristoph. "Yeah that's correct." She said, snapping her gum. Kristoph's eyebrow twitched at her graceless manner. "So what of it?" She asked.

"What I want to know is…which arm was the bracelet on?" He asked. Dewitt popped a bubble in surprise.

"What?"

"OBJECTION!" Payne screeched from across the room. "Mr. Gavin, what relevance is there to that statement?"

"I am only trying to determine what the witness saw." Kristoph replied.

"That is a good reason, objection overruled." The judge said, pounding his gavel. "You may continue Mr. Gavin."

"Thank you, Your Honor." Kristoph bowed his head respectfully before continuing. "Please answer the question Ms. Dewitt."

The witness popped her gum as she thought. Kristoph could see her eyes flit toward Apollo who had left his forearms on the defendant bench as instructed. He smirked as he saw her eyes widen because she could not see the bracelet on either wrist. Kristoph caught her. It was now time for the kill.

"He…wears it…" Dewitt started blowing a bubble to add time to craft her lie. "On his left…"

"Really?" Kristoph asked, feigning surprise. "Are you sure?"

"Ms. Dewitt, your answer may have very serious consequences for the defendant. So I will now ask; are you sure of your answer?" The judge asked.

Dewitt's eyes flit toward the boy's wrists again to find a sign that would lead her to the right answer.

"Ms. Dewitt?" The judge prompted.

"The right. He wears it on his right wrist. I'm sure of it!" She answered finally. Kristoph turned from her and smirked at the boy.

"Then that's it I guess." Kristoph said.

"Are you admitting defeat rookie?" Payne asked mockingly.

"No. In fact, this…is where you lose." Kristoph said turning from the witness to pick up some papers. "Because my client wears his bracelet on his _left_ wrist. These pictures of my client prove that Your Honor." He explained as he handed the pictures to the judge.

"Hmm…he does indeed. What does this mean Mr. Gavin?" The judge asked.

"It means that Ms. Dewitt did not see my client do anything the night of the murder."

"OBJECTION! That doesn't mean anything Mr. Gavin. It was dark on the night of the murder!"

"OBJECTION! She stated quite explicitly that she saw the bracelet sparkle in the flashes of lightning. Are you insinuating your witness is lying Mr. Payne?" Kristoph asked, smirking.

Payne was taken aback by these words. Kristoph continued, "Ms. Dewitt did indeed see the bracelet sparkle but not on my client's wrist. Take a look at the crime scene photo." Kristoph picked up the photo of the crime scene. He pointed to an object on the side table.

"There is your sparking bracelet Ms. Dewitt." He said.

Ms. Dewitt's gum popped on her mouth. She hastily wiped it off.

"Oh and incidentally Ms. Dewitt, those marks on your wrist, where by chance did you get them?" Kristoph asked. The gum popped again.

"These?...They um…they're from one of the bushes on the property. I was trimming it…" She stuttered.

"Really? They seem like, nail marks. As if you were trying to get something off your wrist." Kristoph shrugged.

The gum popped on her mouth once again. Wiping it off, she replied. "What are you talking about?"

"Were you trying to get a bracelet off of your wrist? Presumably, I am talking about my client's bracelet." Kristoph turned his eyes to her. Her eyes flitted.

"No…I did not…I was…" She stuttered. Kristoph turned away from her. He looked at Apollo who shook his head. She was lying.

"This is the defenses position. Ms. Dewitt is someone that works at the orphanage with the defendant who is one of the charges there. The defendant has disclosed there have been thefts occurring at the orphanage. Is this correct Ms. Dewitt?" He turned to the witness who was chewing on her gum ferociously.

"Yeah what of it?" She asked clicking her gum between her teeth.

"I believe that you are the burglar Ms. Dewitt. You tried to steal my client's bracelet and you were caught by the victim. You killed the victim and framed my client since you had his bracelet at the scene. However, there was something that you didn't account for."

"And what would that be?" The bubble got bigger.

"The interesting fact about the bracelet." Kristoph said. "The bracelet conforms to the wearer's wrist for the perfect fit. If you don't believe me try for yourselves."

There was silence in the courtroom save for the sound of crackling gum as both the judge and prosecutor tried the bracelet on for themselves.

"This is amazing!" The judge proclaimed as he tried to shake the bracelet off of his wrist to no avail. "It's like magic!"

"The witness tried to get the bracelet off of her wrist to stop the victim from seeing that she had it. However, she found that in her state of panic, she couldn't get the bracelet off. It was because she was so tense you see. The marks on her wrist were from her own failed attempts of removal." Kristoph finished.

The gum cracked from the witness' mouth. She was still for a moment then suddenly she began to blow a bubble. It grew and grew, larger and larger until it finally popped all over her hair.

***A few minutes later***

"Mr. Payne. How is Ms. Dewitt?" The judge asked.

"The bailiffs are…uh…trying to remove the gum from her hair Your Honor," Payne said.

"That's…uh…fine I guess. Will the defendant stand?" The judge asked. Apollo stood at the defendant's bench.

"This court finds the defendant…

NOT GUILTY!

This court is adjourned!" *Bang*

June 18 2:12 p.m.

District Court

Defendant Lobby

"Mr. Gavin! I…don't know what to say…" Apollo said meekly, blushing slightly.

"Just answer me one question my boy." Kristoph began "How are you going to waste your life now that I just gave it back to you?"

"What?" Apollo asked.

"You heard the question. How are you going to waste your life? Are you going to continue trudging down the path of lawlessness, blaming the system for your failures and shortcomings?"

"…I…" Apollo began.

"I don't want to hear it. It was a pleasure defending you." Kristoph interrupted him beginning to walk out of the lobby.

"Just you wait Mr. Gavin! Someday I'll do something with my life! I may even become a defense attorney like you!" Apollo yelled angrily after him, voice louder than it had been all day.

Kristoph stopped in his tracks and turned slightly not looking at Apollo. "The day you graduate law school is the day I hire you as my junior partner. It's never going to happen." And with that, Kristoph left the defendant lobby.

"Yeah…Those words really pissed me off. I had never had anyone speak like that to me before. I was used to sympathy all my life because of my situation. It was a slap in the face." Apollo concluded his story with these words.

"Yes, Kristoph has a certain way with words…" Klavier remarked recalling that fateful trial just a couple of months ago.

"After that I started to pay attention in high school. I even skipped a grade. I graduated at 16 and went to college, then law school. I graduated law school a few months shy of 22." Apollo said smiling.

"I can assume you went to cash in your bet with my brother ja?" Klavier asked a small smile on his face.

"I think that was the only time I had ever seen your brother surprised, even if it was only a second." Apollo laughed.

"And the rest is history eh Herr Forehead?" Klavier remarked standing.

"I guess…"Apollo trailed off. Klavier stretched his back.

"I have to go back to the office now, I think Fräulein Detective is done raging around the building now. Thanks for the story Herr Forehead." Klavier said beginning his exit.

"I guess I'll see you around Prosecutor Gavin?" Apollo asked.

"Why not? Teasing you amuses me." Klavier said smiling. Apollo blushed.

"Oh…" Apollo frowned. "See you…"

"Bye." Klavier said closing the door. Apollo was left alone in the office. He sighed and sat at the desk to continue his work before Klavier walked in. Apollo picked up the pen but didn't begin to write. He allowed himself to get lost in his memories one final time.

*Knock knock*

"Yes?"

"Do you remember me, Mr. Gavin?"

"Oh yes, you were that boy from all those years ago. What happened, are you being accused of another crime?"

"No, not this time."

"…What's this?"

"My diploma. I just graduated law school today."

"…I see…I guess I should make good on that promise I made you eight years ago."

"…"

"Well then, what should I call you, my boy?"

"…Apollo…Justice."

***  
End

I hope you enjoyed!

R&R

KatrinaKaiba


End file.
